1 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

# H o w t o C r e a t e and S u bmi t a S u c c es s fu l C R O M ERR A p pli c a tion 

# Step **- by** **- Step Guide** 

July 20152 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### • W h a t is C R O M ER R ? • Purpose o f C R O M ERR • C R O M ERR R equi r em e n ts 

# INTRODUCTION

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess3 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

# Th e C r os s - Media El e ct r oni c R eporting R egul a tion ( C R O M ER R ) p r og r am a t the E n v i r onme nt al P r o t ection Ag e n c y ( E PA) p r o v i de s the le g al f r am e w or k for **elect r**  **onic r**  **eportin g**  f r o m r egul a t ed e n tit i es t o the E PA and t o s tat e s , tr i bes, and lo c al g o v ern m e n ts th a t a r e aut h or i z ed t o adm i ni s t er E PA p r og r am s . 

# What is CROMERR?

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess4 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### C R O M ERR se e k s t o ma i nt ain the l e v el o f **c orpo**  **r a**  **t e**  **and individual**  **r es**  **p on**  **s ibili**  **t y**  **and ac**  **c ou**  **n t**  **ability** d u r i n g the t r ansit i o n f r o m a pa p e r base d t o an e l ect roni c r epo rting e n v i ronm e n t. K e y ben e fit s o f C R O M ERR p r og r am: • E nsu r es th a t the e l ect r oni c r eports a r e as e n fo r ceable as their pa p er c ou nt e r part s b y p r o v id i n g st anda r d s for

– E lect roni c Signa tu res

– I n t e g r ity o f c o py o f re c o r d 

### • P ro v i de s a c e n t r al poi n t fo r E P A t o r ecei v e and act o n appl ic a tions in l i eu of g oin g th r ou g h individual EPA o f fices and regions 

# Purpose of CROMERR

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess5 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency Under § 3.10 0 0 ( b ) ( 1 ) , t o ob t ain E P A app ro val o f p r og ram r e v i s i on s or mod i fi c a tions t o inco r po rat e e l ect r oni c r eportin g , a stat e, tr i be , o r lo c al g o ve r nm e n t mu st subm i t an a ppli c a ti o n t o the E P A th a t inclu d es **f our**  **eleme n**  **t s**  : **1. A**  **tt orn**  **e y**  **Gene r** **al (**  **A G**  **)/Legal C**  **ertifi c**  **a tio**  **n** . Ver i fie s th a t t h e stat e ha s su f ficie n t l e g al auth or i ty t o e n fo r ce the p r og ram usin g e l e ct r oni c r eports, as descr i be d in § 3.2000 ( c ). **2. S** **y s** **t e**  **m Descri**  **p tion**  **s** . Syst e m s use d t o r ecei ve e - r eports mu st me e t the C R O M ERR st anda rd s l i st ed in § 3.20 0 0 ( b ) , and p r o v i d e fo r e - s i g n a tu r es (or fol l o w - o n pa p er s i g n a tu r es) th a t m e e t the r equi re m e n ts o f § 3.20 0 0 (a ). **3. S** **y s** **t e**  **m Upg**  **r a**  **des** . Syst em chan g es th a t m a y a f fect C R OM E RR c o m pl i anc e . **4. Othe**  **r In**  **f orm**  **a tio**  **n** . A d d it i ona l i n for m a tion t h a t sho uld b e c onside r ed b y E P A durin g e valu a tion o f the appl ic a tio n . 

# CROMERR Requirements

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess6 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### • G e tting S t art ed • Traditional A p pli c a tion • M a x i m i zing S u c c es sfu l S u bmis s ions • Application S u bmis s ion 

# CROMERR **APPLICATION**

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess7 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### • Begin b y acce ssin g the 2 0 - i t em CROMERR System C heckli st th a t l a y s ou t ap pli ca ti o n r equi r eme n ts; this documen t is c alled the Blank Sy st em Checkli st and c an b e fou n d on the CROMERR website* • A cc e s s and popul a t e either the two generic application c o v er sh e e ts or a customized cover sheet available for certain systems ; all available c o v er sh e e ts c an b e foun d on the CROMERR website • Contact cromerr@epa.gov to determine if an AG/Legal Certification is required for your application • If your not using an off- the - shelf (OTS) approach, we strongly encourage you t o engage EPA in the system design phase and submi t a d ra ft checklist fo r in i tial r e v i e w * No te : Many OTS systems have template system checklists . If a vailable , thes e should b e us e d by the applicant . Some OTS systems do not require system checklists. See the CROMERR website for more information.



# Getting Started

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess8 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency T e m pl at es for CROMERR Cover Sheets are on the CROMERR website No te : Some systems have customized cover sheets. I f the applica tion is f

o r mu ltiple sy

s te m s , P a g e 2 s ho u ld b e comple ted f

o r each sy s te m . 

# Traditional Application: Cover Sheet

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess 

### T **w o**  **- P** **a g** **e Co**  **v e**  **r She**  **e t** 9 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency • § 3.1000(b)(1)( i ) requires a **le t** **t er**  **demonstrating sufficient**  **le g** **al authority**  to enforce the application’s authorized programs using electronic reports . • F o r **st a**  **t es**  , the **A G**  (o r de si g ne e ) mu st sig n the certi f i c a ti o n l e tt e r . • F o r **trib e**  **s and**  **lo c**  **al g** **o v** **e rnm**  **e n**  **t s**  , the Chi e f Admini st ra ti ve O f ficial o r O f

ficer ( **C A** **O** ) (o r de si g ne e ) mu st sig n the certi f i c a ti o n l e tt e r . • A guidance document including a template for preparing your AG/Legal Certification is available on the CROMERR website. Note: Some states have approved generic AG Certifications on file. Contact cromerr@epa.gov to determine if an AG Certification is required for your application No te : L e tte r

s signe d by a designe e mus t e xplicitly sta te th a t this indi vidua l has de le ga ted auth ority f

r o m the A G o r C

A O to sig n the ce rti

f ica tio n le tte r

. 

# Traditional Application: Attorney General/Legal Certification

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess10 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### Th e descri p tions th a t an appl ic a n t p r o v i de s fo r each o f the **20 c**  **h eckli**  **s t**  **r eq**  **u i**  **r eme**  **n ts**  r e fle ct h o w the a p pli c a n t's approach w i ll m e e t the C R OM E RR § 3.2000(a) and (b) requirements through a combination of business processes and system functionality W h en appl ic able, **s u**  **p p**  **orting do**  **c um**  **e n**  **t a**  **tion** shoul d b e att ac h ed t o the descri p tions. Att ac h m e n ts m a y i n c lude the fol l o w i n g : • E lect roni c Signa tu re Ag re e ment • Sy s t em u s er gu i d e s • P r o ce s s diag rams • Sy s t em sc re en s hot s a n d /o r pri n t outs Note: B e f o r e submitting your applica tio n , ensu r e th a t the checklist i tems that are relevant to your system a r

e co mple te. Please use template system checklists if available. 

# Traditional Application: System Checklist

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess11 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency An **offi cial**  **ap p**  **l i**  **ca tio**  **n s**  **u bmissi**  **o n**  wi l l t r i g g er t h e **f o**  **rma l**  **r e** **vi e**  **w p**  **r oc**  **ess** by the CROMERR T

e c hn i c al R e vi e w Com m i tt ee ( T R C). U n l e s s usin g a checklist t e m p l at e fo r an OTS sys t e m , w e s t ron gly e n c ou rage y o u t o **s u**  **bmi t**  **a d**  **r a**  **ft v** **e r** **si o**  **n** fo r i n i tial re vi e w BE F OR E submi tt i n g an official ap p l i c a t ion . Th i s d ra ft submission enab l es you t o: • Av oi d re s t arting t h e e n ti re ap p l i c a t io n p roces s t o m a ke minor edi t s ( resubmissi o n wi l l del a y y ou r ap p l i c a t io n b y a t lea s t 3 0 d a y s) • O b t a i n t e c hn i c al ass i s t ance and cla r ifi c a ti o n o n a n y aspect o f t h e appli c a t ion • R e c ei v e t i m ely fe e dbac k re g a r d i n g a n y chan g es requi red t o ma x i m i z e the chance o f the appli c a tion ’ s app ro v al • E x ped i t e the fo r mal ap p l i c a t io n re vi e w p rocess P l ease di re ct a l l que s ti on s re g a r d i n g d ra ft subm i ss i on s t o the CROMERR program at cromerr@epa.gov. 

# Maximizing Successful Submissions

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess12 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency

For UPS, FedEx, or courier mail deliveries: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Information Attn : Karen Seeh 1301 Constitution Avenue, N.W. EPA West, Room 6408J Washington , DC 20004 Phone : (202) 566 - 1175 F or U .S . P o st al Se r vice d e l i v er i e s: U .S . E n vi ron m e nt al P r o t ec t ion A g e n cy O f fic e o f E n vi ron m e nt a l In fo r m a tion A ttn : K a r en Seeh 1200 P e n n syl v a n ia Av en u e, N .W . M a il C ode: 2823T Washin gt o n , D C 20460 **E l**  **ect r** **onic s**  **u bmis**  **s i**  **o ns**  **a r** **e encou**  **r a**  **g ed**  **!** • A p pli c a tions c an b e submi tt ed via e - ma i l t o K a re n Seeh a t se e h. k a ren@epa . g o v , along w ith a court e sy c o p y t o c rom e r r@epa . g o v • A G/Legal Cert i fi c a tions mu st b e submi tt ed in ha r d - c o p y ; pleas e sen d t o t h e fol l o w i n g add res s : 

# Application Submission

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess13 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### • Traditional R e v i e w P r o c ess • System Approach and CROMERR Approval Timeframes • Comparison of Two Approaches • Approved Application Modifications 

# APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess14 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency • E P A's Com p l et eness R e v i e w ( § 3.1000(b)(3)( i ))

– E P A f i rst re vi e w s app li c a t i o ns t o e n s u re th at e n ou g h in form a t i o n has been provided for a CROMERR compliance evaluation

– T h i s m a y b e an i t e ra t i v e p roce ss w i th the a p p li c ant • E P A's App ro v al R e v i e w ( § 3.1000(c ))

– Upon determination of completeness, EPA reviews applications to assess the approaches outlined for c o mp li a n ce w i th C R OMER R re qu i rem e n ts

– T h i s m a y b e an i t e ra t i v e p roce ss w i th the a p p li c ant • Administrative Approval Steps

– The CROMERR TRC’s approval recommendations are voted on by the committee and confirmed by EPA executives

– Approved applicants receive a letter signed by EPA

– Applications are o ffic i al l y a p p r o v ed u p o n p u bl i c a t i o n o f a F ederal R egi st er notice Note: Some of these steps are combined or eliminated for some OTS systems 

# Traditional Review Process

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess15 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency S y st em approach is a ke y fac t or in the resou rces and ti m e requi red t o a c hi e v e C R O M ERR approval . Generally, a p pli c a n ts c an e xpect the fol l o w ing app ro v al ti m e f ra m es, dependin g upo n the i r sy st em approach: • Long e st ti m e : All or mostly all c u st o m d e v e lopme n t – Minimum 1 y ear • S h ort ti m e : Cu st o m d e v e lopme n t t h a t l e v e ra g es several Share d CR OMER R Se r vices c ompone n ts fo r C R O M ERR fu nctionality – 6 - 9 mo n ths • S h ort e st ti m e : O f

f- the - shel f ( OTS ) so l ution s t h a t p ro v i d e fo r all o r al m o st all C R OM E RR fun c ti o nal i ty and bus i nes s p roces s es – 2 - 4 m o n ths



# System Approach and CROMERR Approval Timeframes

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess16 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency O pport uni ti es exist fo r applicants t o d e v el o p C R O M E R R - c omp li a n t solut i on s q u i c k ly and c o st - e ffect iv ely plu s red uc e CROMERR compliance mai n t enance c o sts • O f f- the - shel f ( OTS ) products offer so l ution s for a range o f e l ect roni c r eporting need s • C R O M ERR c ompone n t se rv i ces are a v ai l able f ro m E P A’s Central Data E x change for i m plem e nta tion w i th a n y syst e m Significant reductions in application burden and approval timeframes have been achieved via “st r ea m li n e d ” C R O M E R R r e vi e w and ap p r o v al p r o c e s s e s b e i ng d ev eloped for these new ap p r oache s • T hese st r eaml i ne d p rocesse s a r e f urthe r a i de d b y on g oi n g C R OMER R p r ocess imp rov e m e n ts suc h as a pp l i c a t io n t e m p l at es, on li n e fo r ms, and p roces s st an d a rd i z a ti o n/au tom a ti on Note: Information about Shared CROMERR Services and O T S Solution s are available on the CROMERR website 

# System Approach and CROMERR Approval Timeframes ( cont .)

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess17 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency **Rhode Island**  **NetDMR (Streamlined**  **Using Automated**  **Template)** • Completeness review: 33 days • Committee v ot e: 17 days • Agency executive co n c u r r e n ce: 7 days • F R No t i c e publication : 15 days **I l**  **l ino**  **i s**  **eDM R**  **( T** **r aditi**  **o n**  **al Ap**  **p r** **oa c**  **h )**  • Co mpl e t e n ess r eview: 1 4 9 d a ys • Committee v ot e : 38 d a ys • Agency executive co n c u r r e n ce: 7 d a ys • F R No t i c e publication : 30 d a ys Note : Custom - built systems often undergo a lengthy, iterative review process which significantly affects the approval timeframe 

# Comparison of Two Approaches

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess 295 d a ys

101 d a ys Appli c ation R e c e i v ed FR Notice Published

Appli c ation R e c e i v ed FR Notice Publi s hed18 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency • Per § 3.1000(a)(4), a pproved applicants mu st noti fy E P A o f a n y chan g es th a t may a f

fect compliance with CROMERR , includ i n g cha n g es t o: o System functionality o Policies and business processes o Laws • Process: o Outline any changes in an email to cromerr@epa.gov o EPA m a y requ e st additional i n for m a ti o n and/or may need to address issues with the applicant to maintain compliance o A formally amended application may or may not be required o E P A acts to approve the changes formally or informally • A ppli c a n ts with app rov ed OTS o r c o m pone n t - based sy st ems are not requi red t o i n fo rm E P

A o f mass system u pd a t es implemented by vendors 

# Approved Application Modifications

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess19 U.S. Environmental Pr otection Agency 

### • E P A C R O M ERR W e b s i t e • C R OM E RR Application T oo l s & Templates • C R O M ERR 101 Tr aining

• CROMERR Help Desk

– App li c a t i o n s t a tus

– R e gul a t o ry/pol i cy q u e st i ons

– T echn i c al as s i s t ance

– O t h e r in q uiri es 

# Application Resources

I n t ro d u ct i on A p pli c a t ion Review P rocess